Opioid abuse comes with the inherent risk of overdose. Unfortunately, overdose is also a risk when on medication-assisted treatment, especially if a participant takes medication in combination with other narcotics, sedatives and/or alcohol. Narcan can reverse an overdose, and it is one of the medications available at the Duke City Recovery Toolbox pick-up pharmacy.
How Narcan Works
Narcan (generic name: naloxone) works by knocking opioid compounds out of the opioid receptors in the brain. When separated from the opioid receptors, the effects of the drugs stop, allowing breathing to return to normal.
Who Should Take Narcan
Narcan is only an opioid antagonist. It does not produce any “high” effect on its own, and it will have no effect on someone who has no opioids in their system. It should only be administered to someone experiencing an overdose. (If it is given to someone who has taken opioids but is not overdosing, it will send them into withdrawal immediately.)
Narcan Availability at DCRT
Narcan is one of the treatment medications available at our pick-up pharmacy. Participants may be given a prescription for Narcan dose(s) as a precautionary measure. We encourage participants with access to Narcan to educate someone close to you how to administer it in the event of an overdose as the person experiencing the overdose may be incapacitated.
Preventing Opioid Overdose
Duke City Recovery Toolbox strives to give you the tools to maintain your health and safety throughout your recovery process. We educate our participants on drug addiction, the effects of their treatment medications and dangers of combining medications with other sedatives to prevent overdoses. We also work with other prescribing physicians to ensure that our participants’ do not experience any adverse effects of clashing medications.
If you experience any negative side effects, please let our on-staff nurse know when you visit us for your next medication dose.
